DBZ Retold, Book 1: The Saiyan Conflict
by Sonic Thunder Saiyan Turtle
Summary: When a mysterious man comes to Earth and tells Goku that he is an alien from another world, Goku and his friends must embark on an all-new adventure in order to save the planet from the man's fiendish cohorts. (Chronologically 2nd in the new series; read and review, then more reviews more new chapters.)
1. The Arrival of Raditz

_Five years have passed since the defeat of Piccolo Junior...not to mention the single year that passed following the seeming demise of Garlic Junior—and since then, life for Goku, Chi-Chi, and their son, little Gohan, has been uneventful. But a new specter was creeping its way forth, onto the horizon…_

Episode #1: _**The**** Arrival of Raditz**_

* * *

**Featured Voice Talent:**

Son Goku: **Ian James Corlett**

Son Gohan: **Christopher Gray**

Chi-Chi: **Grey DeLisle-Griffin**

Raditz: **James Arnold Taylor**

Piccolo Jr/Ma Junior: **Scott McNeil**

The Farmer:** Andre Stojka**

Garlic Jr: **Michael Bell **(_flashback_)

Krillin: **Terry Klassen **(_flashback_)

Yamcha: **Terrence "Terry" Scammell**

Puar: **Pauline Little**

Narrated by **Peter Cullen**

* * *

_This episode is included on the DVD and VHS release _"Volume 1: **Brothers in Arms**". _The cover art has Goku and Raditz, standing back-to-back with one another; on Goku's half, Piccolo and Yamcha look on in surprise. On Raditz's half, Nappa and Vegeta are shown glaring._

**NOTE: **In the film adaptations, Toronto voice actress **Sonja Ball **(Arthur's mom on **_Arthur_**, Spookley from _**Spookley the Square Pumpkin**_, and Polly Esther of the **_Samurai Pizza Cats_**) voices Chi-Chi, but in this re-dub/revisioning of the TV series, Grey Griffin voices her, due to sounding a LOT like Cynthia Cranz's take on Chi-Chi.

**NOTE #2: **This episode is a somewhat-condensed version of _The New Threat_, but I cut out most of the Gohan subplot stuff because that wasn't really accomplishing much except filling out the time slot.

**NOTE #3: **The dialogue for the stories is based on the subtitles, Viz Media's translation of the manga, and the **FUNimation** and **Ocean Group**-dubbed versions...as well as a little bit from **_Dragon Ball Z Kai_**.

* * *

In the forests of Mt. Paozu, the deer grazed, and the birds chirped as they flew across the skies. Next to a tiny, one-room house stood one that was significantly larger.

"Go-haaaaaan!" called a female voice. "Lunch is ready; time to come inside!"

Deeper into the woods, a 24-year-old man was leaping from tree-to-tree, in search of the right one. This was Son Goku, and he was searching as hard as he could. Finally, his search came to an end as he laid eyes upon a mighty oak tree.

"Ah...yup, this is the right one!" he smiled. Then, he squatted down, drew back, and with a shout he launched a furious punch that brought the oak to the ground in seconds.

Standing outside the house was Goku's wife Chi-Chi, who'd been calling for their son to come inside for at least seven minutes now. Though she gained a reprieve when Goku arrived, carrying the enormous tree towards the front doorstep.

"Welcome back," she smiled. "Have you seen Gohan around?"

Goku dropped the tree to the ground with a thump. "I'm famished already! Especially now that I got us some firewood!" he exclaimed.

"What're you going on about?" asked Chi-Chi. "I was wondering if you'd seen Gohan!"

"Can't say I have, really..." replied Goku with a sheepish expression. "Where could he be?"

Chi-Chi looked nervous. "I'm not certain...but if you don't find him and get moving soon, Master Roshi and the others will grow old (in Roshi's case, even OLDER) while waiting for you!" she exclaimed.

"He couldn't have gone _too _far off," Goku smiled. "And I'll be sure to take the Flying Nimbus, so I can search from the air!" Even though he had already learned how to use the _Bukūjutsu_ technique during his battle with Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he preferred riding on the Nimbus, as it reminded him of his youth. "Bye, Chi-Chi!" And with that, Goku took off down the hill.

"I'm counting on you; be careful!" Chi-Chi yelled to her husband as she watched him leave. "Really, what am ah goin' to do with that man? Ah'm gonna end up worryin' mahself to death ovah him..." she sighed, slipping into her country dialect.

* * *

_**MEANWHILE...**_

Out in a field somewhere, a farmer was pitchforking hay chunks into the back of his blue Chevy pickup truck. He gave a great sigh, and fanned himself with his straw hat.

"_Phew..._this job's bigger'n I thought..." he remarked. "But just a little bit more...then ah'll be done fer today..." Just then, the farmer blinked, as he suddenly heard a humming, whirring sound, which seemed to actually be getting louder as its source got closer to Earth. Said source began to manifest in the sky, in the form of a tiny red dot with a white center.

"What IS that...?" asked the farmer, gaping in shock. But his shock wasn't without justification, as the red dot came even closer...though by now it looked more like a big, red fireball, streaking through the sky. The farmer and his truck were briefly engulfed in a red glow as the large object shot over their heads and crash-landed several miles away. The resulting impact sent the farmer's birds scrambling and squawking, leaving the farmer shaking at the knees.

"Wh-what WAS that just now?!" he stammered. "A m-m-meteor? Sum sorta UFO?! G-guess I'd b-b-better ch-ch-check it out...; oh, why me...?"

But he had little time to pontificate on his miserable state of events, while he went cruising over the hills in his truck, moving towards the crash site at full speed.

"Okay, now..." said the farmer as he brought his vehicle to a halt, and climbed out...only to turn back. "Better bring muh peashooter..." And so, shotgun in hand, he curiously approached the massive crater that had been left by the impact of the fallen object.

It was shaped like a kickball, and was colored white with a bluish tint; its front door had a round, translucent red window, and the whole thing was still smoking.

"Ah don't like this..." the farmer gulped, but he kept on approaching anyway.

Soon, he got a good look at the alien craft. "It ain't no meteor...it's made o' steel 'r sumthin'!" he exclaimed. "What 'n th' world is it?!"

As if indirectly providing him an answer, the craft's door opened itself. And out of that spacecraft emerged a rather tall young man with long, spiky black hair with a very noticeable widow's peak, wearing some strange-looking armor. The farmer could only vocalize in terror as the man floated out of the crater before his very eyes, and then landed on the ground in front of it. The man's face bore a stern, focused expression, greatly contrasting the farmer's look of abject terror.

"So, the creatures inhabiting this world _are _still alive..." he observed. "Damn that miserable Kakarrot...he's failed us!"

"W-who are you...?" asked the farmer, gripping his rifle like a dangling spelunker would a rope. "Y-you're on muh property..."

"...is that so?" The man asked, pressing a button on a strange eyepiece over his left eye. The eyepiece began to beep for a few seconds, and then stopped. "A power level of 5? Talk about puny!"

The farmer yelped as the man began to approach him. "D-don't come any closer!" he stammered as he fumbled his shotgun. "I'm warning ya, ah'll use this thang!"

The man took one step. With a cry, the farmer opened fire; however, quicker than the human eye could see, the man caught the bullet in his hand with blinding speed.

The farmer screamed in terror; he'd met a lot of people over the course of his career...but none of them could ever catch bullets!

"Here...catch," smirked the man, as he flicked the bullet like he was flipping a coin. Akin to some sort of pint-sized heat-seeking missile, the bullet shot right back at the farmer, knocking him out, and shooting right through the grille of his truck. The farmer let off a dazed mumble before he collapsed.

The man scoffed. "What a fragile breed..." he remarked before his eyepiece started to beep again. "There's someone with a high power level...distance: 4,880..." he muttered. And so, he took to the skies once more. "If that's you...PREPARE YOURSELF, KAKARROT!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Goku was flying over the forest, looking for Gohan and calling his name. Suddenly, he spotted his toddler son, hanging on for dear life aboard a log that was being swept down a raging river.

"GOHAN!" he exclaimed as he realized his son was in peril. Down below in the river, the boy's fear gave way to joy when he saw who was flying overhead.

"It's my daddy!" he exclaimed before he was briefly submerged, only to pop up on the other side of the log.

"Just hang on; dad's coming to save you, son!" Goku called as he swooped down and extended a hand. "Just a...little further..." he grunted, before he saw that the river's path was leading into a swiftly-approaching cave tunnel with a very low ceiling. With Gohan and the log being swept into the cave, Goku had no choice but to fly upward on the Nimbus, hoping that it'd be fast enough to get to Gohan before he went over the waterfall at the other end.

Finally, the log flew out the other side of the cavern, over the waterfall, with Gohan screaming for help. Faster than a rocket, Goku sped to the bottom of the falls, but only found the empty log. Right when it seemed he'd be forced to throw in the towel, he heard some very familiar cries for help.

Up on a branch, was little Gohan, screaming for help as he clung tightly to the wooden piece. His eyelids were shut so tightly that he didn't see that his dad was now floating directly in front of him.

"DADDY, GET ME DOWN!" he wailed. "I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS!" Fortunately, he opened his eyes soon and saw his father floating on the Flying Nimbus before him, and quickly jumped into his arms.

Goku took a quick glance down. "But...how'd you get all the way up here?" he asked, but something seemed to click inside his mind. It was just like last year, when Gohan had managed to save them from Garlic Jr's Dead Zone vortex...

* * *

**FLASHBACK: **

**_ONE YEAR AGO..._**

_As Goku and Piccolo clung to the rubble of the Lookout for dear life, Garlic Junior let out a fiendish cackle while his body glowed with yellow energy._

_"You arrogant toad...I'm gonna kill you!" Piccolo growled as he threw an energy blast, then clung to another chunk of rubble as he was dragged back. The energy blast just bounced off Garlic Jr, as if it were a rubber chew toy._

_"You can't stop ME; let everything be sucked into this Dead Zone I've created!" Garlic Jr exclaimed. "Including YOU! You'll all be sealed into a hellish darkness that will freeze your bodies and souls for the rest of eternity, just like you did to my father!"_

_Piccolo strained to keep his grip, but the vortex seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Goku cried out as he was pulled towards the swirling vortex of death...and smashed head-first through several stone pillars on the way. Fortunately, he managed to grab onto the last one to keep from being dragged in completely._

_A piece of debris conked Krillin on the head, and when he put his hands to cover himself, he lost his grip, but luckily managed to grab on to another part. Kami and Mr. Popo were hanging on with all their might, but they couldn't hold on for long._

_Somewhere within the rubble, a young boy cried out, his sobbing somehow making itself heard over the howling winds and roaring vortex._

_Goku's eyes drifted towards the pile. "...GOHAN!" he exclaimed. Garlic Jr raised an eye-ridge in curiosity. Suddenly, the mound of rubble burst like a balloon, and in the midst of it all, was Gohan...but something was clearly different about him. Gone was his childlike expression of fear; in its place was an angry, seething grimace. His fists were clenched like vise-grips, and his eyes had an almost primal, animalistic quality to them. If looks could kill, then Garlic Jr would have been dead a thousand times over._

_"NO! GOHAN!" Goku called to his 3-year-old son, but his words didn't seem to be getting through to him. He merely stood firm, resisting the pull of the Dead Zone._

_"How can this be happening?!" asked Garlic Junior. "That little brat isn't even affected by my power! I knew he was special...but how can he be so powerful? What on Earth would make him so strong?! One thing's for sure: he's no ordinary little kid!"_

_With a grunt, the brawny little man boosted his strength and tried to push Gohan back, but he only moved a little bit._

_"I've got to use all my power! I'll hit him with everything that I have!" he proclaimed as he glowed ever-brighter, increasing the pull of the vortex and dragging Gohan even further towards it._

_By this time, Gohan's eyes were completely blank, no irises or pupils to be seen. And finally, he began to let out a mighty scream of furious rage as his body glowed with a blue light.  
_

_By that point, Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Mr. Popo and Kami were overpowered by the suction force of the Dead Zone, and were dragged towards it._

_"DAAAAAADDDDDDYYYYY...!" Gohan roared, as he sent out a blast of blue energy, which hit Garlic Jr, head-on in the stomach, and sent him tumbling towards the swirling vortex which he himself had created._

* * *

Goku had gotten a first-hand glimpse of Gohan's true hidden power that day, and it had not only saved them, but the Earth itself. After that, everything was a bit quiet afterwards, but the fact that Gohan had somehow made it from the log to a dangling branch several feet above his head was yet another piece of evidence that there was much more to Gohan than meets the eye.

"Daddy...I lost my hat!" Gohan sobbed, before Goku plopped the headwear back onto his son's head.

"Don't be silly, it's on your head!" he replied warmly. "Now let's head on home and get you cleaned up, so that way you can come see all my pals at Master Roshi's!"

Gohan gave a little smile at that, wiping away some tears.

* * *

**ELSEWHERE...**

The strange man was still in pursuit of the mysterious power level, as he flew above a bustling busy city where its citizens were going about their daily lives. It put him in a contemplative mood. It made him wonder...if things played out differently in his life, would he be living a similar existence to these beings?

But such thoughts were better saved for when he was off duty. "...miserable vermin," he spat, his curiosity masked by contempt.

Elsewhere, out in an empty wasteland, the man who once called himself Ma Junior stood firmly perched on a flat mountaintop, gazing out at his surroundings. This was none other than Piccolo Jr, but we all know who he is.

Suddenly, he spun around, a shocked expression on his face. "W-what kind of power is that?!" he asked himself. "It couldn't possibly be...Goku? No...while this power feels similar to his...there's something different about it!"

In a flash of energy, the man landed several feet in front of Piccolo. "Excuse me for dropping in...I'm looking for a fellow named Kakarrot. Thought you might be him." he explained.

"Well, you were mistaken," replied Piccolo. "So who are you? You have some kind of business with me?"

"I have no business with you," said the man.

"Then what've you come here for?" asked Piccolo. "You got some sort of death wish?"

"My, aren't _we _high-spirited today?" the man chuckled before pressing his eyepiece to scan Piccolo. "Ah...a battle power of 322. Definitely impressive, but you're still no match for me."

Piccolo clenched his fists. "What'd you say?!" he asked. "Do you know just who you're talking to?!"

"Not really..." replied the man with a flippant look on his face. From how he responded, one would think he was at the check-out line of his local supermarket.

The green-skinned demon gritted his teeth as sweat began to bead upon his forehead. _W-what's the deal with this guy's power? _His arms briefly swelled with energy before he put his hands out in front of him and let off a fearsome blast of energy which seemed to engulf the man entirely.

Piccolo's stress soon melted away into a self-assured smile...which soon gave way to one of curiosity. As the dust cloud began to clear up, he caught a glimpse of the man's boots. But when the cloud was gone, the man was still standing, barely even scuffed.

"That was a worthless technique, eh?" he asked. "I guess it's only good for kicking up dust."

The expression adorning Piccolo's face could be described as one of pure terror.

"Now it's _my _turn," said the man. "Allow me to demonstrate one of my favorite techniques." But before he could commence, his eyepiece began to beep once more.

"Well...guess it's your lucky day, green man," he said to Piccolo. "Looks like there's another great power here..." And he lifted into the air to get a better vantage point. His eyepiece beeped a little longer, until it finally came to a stop. "That way...range of 12,209. It's large...the largest power on the planet, even...this time for sure, it has to be Kakarrot!"

And like a jet plane, he took off in the direction of the mysterious power, leaving Piccolo. The green demon fell to his knees, mortified by what had just transpired.

"T-this is ridiculous...!" he exclaimed, panting. "I hit him with my full power and it didn't even stun him! Not to mention I was shaking so much after that, I couldn't move!"

* * *

In the clouds above, the mysterious man was flying at top speed towards the battle power he was tracking.

"Have you lost sight of your pride as a Saiyan, one of the mightiest warriors in the universe?" he muttered. "I _still _remember the day that you were sent to this world during your infancy...I was off-world with my commanding officer by then, but I know that my father made a brutal sacrifice against our leader..."

In his mind's eye, he saw images of a tiny baby boy who was the splitting image of...Goku himself!

"...so why haven't you carried out your mission...KAKARROT?!" the man roared as he kept on flying.

* * *

**_Who are the Saiyans, the mightiest warriors in the universe? And who is Kakarrot? It appears that this mysterious alien has some sort of connection to Goku. Next time, the secrets of Goku's mysterious past will finally be revealed!_**

* * *

**NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW**

**Goku: **_Hey, Master Roshi, guys; you remember Gohan, right?_

**Roshi:** _Sure as shootin', Goku! How ya been, little guy?_

**Raditz:** _So, looks like baby brother is all grown up._

**Goku:** _Just who are you, anyway?_

**Raditz:** _Be serious, Kakarrot; don't tell me you've neglected your Saiyan pride!_

**Goku:** _W-what?!_

**Yamcha:** _Next time on Dragon Ball Z Retold:_ **Between Brothers**_!_

**Gohan:** _Daddy, do you really think I can become a great scholar?_

**Puar:** _Try not to miss it!_

* * *

**AFTERMATH**

**For anybody wondering why Raditz seems a bit different from his mainstream counterpart, it's because this time around he'll play a more vital role in the series instead of being tossed aside and forgotten about. Mostly because he's my favorite character, with tons of untapped potential.**


	2. Between Brothers

_Last time on **Dragon Ball Z Retold**, a simple day out for father and son turned into a major-league rescue mission when Goku had to save Gohan from a raging waterfall; but when Gohan somehow makes it to safety, it gives our hero a major blast from the past…_

_...and speaking of blast from the past, Piccolo was accosted by a mysterious man who came from outer space, searching for someone by the name of 'Kakarrot'. The power this solitary fellow exuded left Piccolo bewildered, and even more surprises are to come._

Tale #2: "**Between Brothers**"

* * *

**Voice Cast:**

**Ian James Corlett **as Son Goku

**Christopher Gray **as Son Gohan

**Terry Klassen **as Krillin

**Alyson Court **as Bulma Briefs

**Mike Donovan **as Master Roshi

**Peter Cullen **as Sea Turtle

**James Arnold Taylor **as Raditz

**Jonathan Potts **as Yamcha

**Janyse Jaud **as Blue Launch/**Kathleen Barr **as Blonde Launch

**Pauline Little **as Puar

**Michael O'Reilly **as Oolong

**Brian Drummond **as Vegeta

**Doug Parker **as Nappa

Narrated by **PETER CULLEN**

(C) _1996 Toei Animation._

_Licensed by Viz Video, a division of Viz Communications, Ltd._

* * *

**NOTE: **In this, Puar is female...and during the gap between the end of **_Dragon Ball _**and the start of **_Dragon Ball Z_**, she and Oolong settled things and became a couple.

* * *

As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the skies above, the man was determined to continue his quest and find his fellow Saiyan, Kakarrot.

"Have you truly lost sight of your pride? Of what it means to be a member of the mightiest warriors in the universe?!" he bellowed. "Well, when I find you, I'll be more than happy to remind you..._KAKARROT...!_"

His words seemed to echo upon the wind as he vanished into the distance.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, a Capsule Corp. hovercraft touched down outside on the sandy surface. Out of it emerged a teal-haired young woman, accompanied by a dark-haired young man with a scar across his left eye. And along with them were a small, floating, blue cat-like creature and a short pig wearing a throwback cap and a pair of red overalls.

"Alright, who th' hell is there?!" snapped Blonde Launch, kicking open the front door. As per usual, she was armed with a tommy gun, locked and loaded.

The pig immediately went pale. "...don't tell me she forgot about us already...!" he gulped.

"Launch, don't you remember what Master Roshi said?" asked Sea Turtle, crawling up to his roommate. "Today is the official reunion of the Turtle School of Martial Arts! Ah, Miss Bulma! Mister Yamcha! Lady Puar, and Sir Oolong! Do come in, won't you?" he asked, as a warm smile graced his face. "Roshi and Krillin will just be delighted!"

"Oh...it's you guys," Blonde Launch replied. "...my bad; I got a little jumpy, is all."

"Well, thank you, Turtle," said Bulma as she went to the doorstep. "At least _someone _on this island hasn't forgotten their manners."

Turtle waved a flipper as Bulma stepped inside, ignoring Launch's indignant expression...although he had sensed her annoyance. Luckily, he'd known to prepare for this, so he blew a small leaf filled with pepper at her, making her sneeze...

_**PIN-N-N-G!**_

And in a blink, Blonde Launch was gone, with Blue Launch in her place instead. Upon seeing this, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong relaxed a bit more.

* * *

"Heya guys, what's up?" Bulma waved. Inside Kame House were Master Roshi and Krillin, both of whom looked up and saw one of their long-time friends standing before them.

"He-hey, Bulma!" Krillin exclaimed, holding a TV tray with a bowl full of chips. Master Roshi gave a dry laugh as he put down his mug of beer.

"It sure has been a long time, hasn't it?" asked the young heiress. "You said to come visit, so I did! This house still hasn't changed a bit after all this time, eh?"

"Maybe not, but you're still as pretty as ever!" wheezed Roshi, much to Bulma's modest joy. "Though you're a cold 'un, fer sure; unless someone tells ya to visit, we barely see you around here! Not to mention ya probably forgot my _manju _buns...but I forgive ya!" he shrugged as he took a swig of his beer.

"Surprise!" Bulma beamed as she held out a gift-wrapped package to the old man. "I didn't forget 'em!"

Roshi rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, you didn't need to go to all this trouble. You're gonna spoil this old man!" he chuckled as he leaned in. "In fact, I'm so happy right now, I could just squeeze ya!"

However, Bulma already knew where Roshi was trying to go as he came towards her, and she slammed the package on his head, leaving a decently-sized lump behind. "Well, excuse me for tryin' to say thanks!" he snapped.

"You dirty old geezer...why did I think you could _ever_ change?!" Bulma groused.

"...is this a bad time?" asked Yamcha, as he, Puar and Oolong poked their heads inside.

"Yamcha! Puar! Oolong!" Krillin beamed. "Get on in here, you guys!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Goku and Gohan were speeding towards Kame House, spotting flocks of seagulls and school after school of flying fish as they went by.

* * *

"So, how _are _things between you and Yamcha these days?" asked Krillin, balancing the parcel on a finger. Puar and Oolong wisely kept drinking the beverages that they'd been given by Sea Turtle, because they knew that this wasn't something they wanted to get involved in.

Bulma scoffed angrily. "Why don't you ask Mister Baseball Superstar yourself?" she replied. "We only came here together for everyone else's sake! Besides, I can have fun without him, and so can the rest of you!"

"Well, _so _sorry I can't always kow-tow to her Royal Highness' every demand!" Yamcha retorted. "So there are some female baseball fans who like me, I can't help that!"

"Breakin' up is hard to do..." murmured Roshi.

"I wouldn't know," replied Krillin.

"So...are Tien and Chiaotzu coming?" asked Puar, trying to liven up the mood. "After all, you _did _send them invitations."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Yamcha, his bad mood dissipating. "Just never know with those two...but what about Goku?"

"Well, he should be on his way, with a surprise." replied Krillin as he opened the box and drooled over the _manju_ buns. Gleefully, he took out two of the nine and got ready to start stuffing his face.

"Hey, at least save some for the rest of us!" squeaked Puar as she and Oolong ran over.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere, the man continued his solo flight in search of Kakarrot. _The position of this power is moving at an incredible speed...but not fast enough_, he smirked to himself.

Outside Roshi's house, the Nimbus Cloud flew down to the beach. "Here we are: Master Roshi's place!" Goku pointed out for his son as they approached.

"You're a crafty one, Kakarrot...but you won't escape!" the man remarked, getting ever closer to his location.

Once the father-son duo had arrived, Goku leapt off the cloud with Gohan in his arms. "Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?" he called, though he was a bit surprised to see Launch coming over and giving him a bear-hug.

"Oh, hello, Goku!" she beamed. "It's been quite a while since I last saw you...and who's this little darling?"

"This is my boy, Gohan," replied Goku, putting him down. "Say hi to Launch, little guy."

Gohan took a very formal bow. "G-good afternoon, miss." he said. Launch giggled at this. "My, he's such a little gentleman," she told Goku. "Once he gets older, the girls will be swarming him!"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, I betcha they will," he replied as he went up to the front door. "Hey, Turtle Hermit! Anybody home?" he called.

"Fine, fine; I'm comin'..." muttered Roshi's voice as some footsteps could be heard approaching the doorway. Then, after a few minutes, it creaked open, revealing the bearded face of Master Roshi. "Ho-nelly, if'n it ain't Goku himself, an' his little youngster, too! How ya doin' today, kiddo?"

"I'm fine, Grampa Roshi," said Gohan, reaching out to shake the old man's hand as Krillin and Bulma came out to join him.

"This is the first time I've seen Gohan in person and not just in photos," Bulma told the bald monk. "You were _right_, he's too adorable for words!"

"Well, we can at least get inside for further introductions," suggested Turtle. Everyone agreed, and came indoors.

"So Goku, Krillin said you were bringing a surprise," said Oolong. "What IS it, anyway?"

"Who's the little boy?" asked Puar. "Are you babysitting for extra money?"

Goku gave a shy chuckle. "Actually...he's _my _son," he replied. Upon hearing that, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha all did a double-take in surprise. Out of everyone on Earth, Goku was the last person they expected to see with a son of his own.

"Told'ja," Bulma chuckled at Yamcha's expression of disbelief.

"His name is Gohan," explained Blue Launch casually to the bewildered threesome.

Oolong gave a chuckle. "So ya named him after your grandpa?" he remarked. "Pretty sweet of ya, I'll admit."

Puar floated over to the tiny child. "Hi there, Gohan; how old are you?" she asked, a bright smile on her face.

Gohan held up 4 of his fingers. "..._this _many!" he replied.

Puar looked up at Goku. "Even for four years old, he seems rather polite. Are you _sure _he's your child?" she asked.

"Well, Chi-Chi has been teaching him all that manners stuff," Goku explained.

"Say, short-stack, what'cha gonna be when ya grow up, eh?" Oolong asked the youngster.

"I want to be a great scholar when I get older." replied Gohan, leaving Oolong baffled.

"Scholar, huh...?" he asked. "Kinda figured your old man would be teachin' ya how to kick butt like he did back in the day, but I guess startin' early isn't for everybody."

Yamcha glanced down to see a fuzzy brown appendage hanging off of Gohan's coat. "Am I seein' things, or is that a tail?" he asked.

"Yeah, like the one I used to have!" Goku nodded. Upon hearing this, Bulma and the others realized that they might just have a serious problem on their hands.

"Um, Goku...has anything _unusual _ever happened to Gohan?" asked the seafoam-haired woman.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Goku, before Roshi zipped over.

"W-well, for one, does he undergo any changes at night when the moon is full?" he explained.

"...nah, we go to bed pretty early around my place," Goku replied. "...why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing! Just curious, is all!" Roshi laughed sheepishly, while Bulma and the others simply turned away and whistled in a nonchalant manner, save for Launch, who merely looked on, feeling a bit guilty about keeping such an important secret from a longtime friend.

"So, Goku...is your kid strong like you?" asked Puar.

Goku looked on, sadly. "He's pretty tough, yeah...even tougher than me, maybe," he replied. "But Chi-Chi gets mad whenever I try to train him. She says martial arts are a waste of energy."

"Oh, then what's that make _us_, huh?" asked Krillin.

"Now, now; settle down, lads," Roshi told them. "You can't expect everyone to agree with ya-it'd be all too easy, then. Not to mention, th' world's been pretty quiet since that Garlic Jr. fella was taken care of."

"That thing on Gohan's hat...that's a Dragon Ball, right?" asked Bulma.

Goku's mood brightened, and he gave a brisk nod. "You betcha; it's the Four-Star Ball!" he replied. "Took me awhile to search it out, but I wanted Gohan to have it since it used to belong to his namesake. I've been collecting 'em for fun: I even got 3-star and 6-star!"

Bulma couldn't help but chuckle. "Really takes me back...all the crazy escapades we got into, trying to find those things..."

Suddenly, something caught Goku's focus, and he glanced around.

"What's wrong?" asked Oolong. "You get a brain cramp or sumthin'?"

"I dunno...something's coming this way..." Goku replied as a chill ran down his spine.

"Maybe it's Tien and Chiaotzu?" asked Yamcha. "I _did _tell them we'd be here today."

"No..." replied Goku. "It's a terrible..._evil _power...somehow, stronger than Piccolo...!"

As Goku looked on, a tiny dot began to manifest in the distance. "There he is!"

"What the...who IS that?!" exclaimed Krillin as the fiendish invader touched down on the shores of Kame House.

_This isn't good...I smell death in the air_, Roshi thought to himself. _What sort of ferocious bloodlust IS this...?_

As the man landed, Goku, Krillin and Yamcha struck defensive poses; Gohan cowered in Bulma's grasp, and Puar and Oolong hid behind Sea Turtle with Launch.

The device on his face scanned Goku, granting a positive match. "So...we finally meet." the quill-haired man smiled. "You're all grown up..."

Goku let off a gasp of shock.

"...but I'd recognize you anywhere, Kakarrot." The man finished.

Now Goku was utterly puzzled. "...Kakarrot?" he asked, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

"You look just like our Father," The man smiled. "Not to mention our cousin, Turles..."

"What's that mean?" asked Yamcha, his voice a whisper. "This guy know your family or something?"

"No way, he must be nuts." Krillin replied, keeping his own voice low.

"Kakarrot! What've you been doing all these years?!" snapped the man. "You were supposed to complete your mission: wiping out all native life on this planet! So what've you been slacking off for?"

Goku looked back to Master Roshi, who could only give a shrug of confusion; whatever this stranger was talking about, he sure as heck didn't know.

"Now just a second, Mister!" Krillin spoke up. "I dunno _who _you are, but you've obviously got the wrong guy! The last thing we need around here is drunks like you, hanging around; allow me to escort you off this island."

The man smirked as his 'belt' glowed with energy, but only Goku was quick enough to notice. "KRILLIN, WATCH OUT!" he shouted.

Krillin didn't get a chance to move out of the way; rather, he was smacked by the fuzzy brown appendage around the stranger's waist, and was sent flying right into the wall of Kame House, demolishing the paneling.

"KRILLIN...!" Goku yelped, seeing his friend injured. Seething with rage, he turned around...only for his rage to turn to shock when he saw something that looked all-too familiar.

Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha were also surprised.

"Is...is that...**_a TAIL...?!_**"

* * *

**_Sit back and gather your energy!_ **"Dragon Ball Z: Retold" **_will return in a moment!_**

* * *

_**Grab some Senzu Beans; now we're back with more**_ "Dragon Ball Z: Retold"_**!**_

* * *

The man chuckled at their expressions. "Looks like you've finally put two and two together." he shot.

"What are you talking about?" asked Goku, as Bulma pulled Gohan away from the fracas and out of harm's way.

The man did a double-take, mildly surprised. "...you mean you don't even know who I am?!" he asked, bewildered.

"I dunno who this Kaka-whatever is, but I'm not him!" Goku remarked. "I'm Son Goku!"

The man blanched, mortified. _This...this couldn't possibly be happening! How could my brother have utterly forgotten his mission? His own FAMILY, even?! It's impossible! ...unless..._

"Kakarrot...tell me...have you ever taken any strong shocks to the head in the past?" he asked.

At that, Master Roshi's eyes lit up with a gleam of recognition.

"What?" Goku replied.

"During your childhood, did you ever hit your head?!" shouted the man.

"...yeah...back when I was really young," explained Goku. "I don't remember it too well, though; and I still have the scar to prove it."

The man gritted his teeth in aggravation. "So _that_'s what happened..." he fumed.

"But what's that got to do with anything?" asked Goku.

"Goku..." said Master Roshi in a serious tone. "There's something that your grandfather told me long ago that I think you ought to know..."

* * *

**~FLASHBACK~**

_We see old Grandpa Gohan approaching a large crater, astonishment on his face._

One day, deep in a valley, he stumbled across something quite unusual...almost like it'd fallen from the sky. When he approached it, there was a round capsule, and next to it was a baby with a long, furry tail, lying inside a little round pod.

_A shot of the infant Goku, luckily having his lower body covered by a blanket, staring up at the old man._

He took him home, and tried to raise and care for him, but the child was hateful and violent, downright uncontrollable, even...not to mention, bizarrely strong. He wanted nothing to do with Gohan's kindness.

_Several shots: baby Goku bites Gohan's hand; then kicks him in the face; he is next shown biting and tearing apart his hammock; then he kicks apart the wooden washtub as Gohan tries to give him a bath; he angrily throws his baby bottle and a blue toy dump truck at Gohan, while surrounded by 3 or 4 other toys._

The old man was at his wits' end, but one fateful day...

_Shot: Gohan on a hike, while baby Goku reaches out of his backpack to try and grab at a bird. The next shots show Goku stumbling out of the backpack, and plummeting into the ravine. The last of these shots shows Goku landing at the bottom, right on his head. The camera shakes for impact._

...the baby fell into a ravine and hit his head. Gohan feared the worst, but somehow, some way, the child managed to recover.

_Shot: Gohan keeps a quiet vigil over the bed-ridden youngster, who lies unconscious with an ice pack taped to his head with bandages._

And after his recovery, the child's violent, foul-tempered attitude vanished, and he became a good little boy. Yes, any other child would've died...but this boy wasn't exactly like any other child, that's for sure.

_Final shot: Gohan with an 8-year-old Goku, dressed in blue overalls and a red shirt, who now looks much happier...a lot like the Goku we've come to know and love._

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

* * *

By the time the Turtle Hermit had concluded his story, everyone, save for the mysterious man, was in shock...but Goku was the most shocked of all.

"T-that was me...?" he asked, shocked that he was once possessed such violent, feral emotions at such an early age.

"Was..._is_." Master Roshi concluded.

"Hey, I was right!" Oolong exclaimed. "I hadda feeling Goku wasn't normal all those years ago, and looks like I was spot-on!"

"So...do this guy and Son-_kun _have some sort of connection?" asked Bulma.

The man chuckled. "Brains _and _beauty; I can understand why you were so hesitant to carry out your mission...she _IS _rather fetching." he remarked. Bulma blushed lightly at that remark.

Goku turned back to face the man. "Alright, you got my attention; now tell us who you are!" he told him.

The man's smile tapered a bit. "Well, I wasn't expecting to give a history lesson when I came here today," he spoke, as his tail wrapped itself back around his waist. "But I'm willing to make time. After all, we're going to be working together as of today, and I do like my co-workers to be well-informed."

At this point, Blonde Launch had helped Krillin out of the side of Kame House that he'd been smacked into. Sure, she could be bad-tempered and rob banks, but she still had a heart! Besides, she saw the little cue-ball as kind of adorable.

"You alright, Krillin?" asked Goku.

"Sure," came his friend's response. "Watch yourself, Goku; that guy's not normal!"

Goku gave a brisk nod, as he began sweating. "I know what'cha mean; to be honest, just us standing here, looking at each other like this has got me spooked." he replied.

"I'll spell it out for you then: you're not a human," the man spoke. "You were born on the Planet Vegeta. You are a proud Saiyan, the mightiest warrior race in the universe."

Goku and the others gasped in abject shock.

"And I...am your big brother, Raditz!" concluded the man. A dark cloud seemed to loom over the Kame House from above.

"G-Goku's big brother...?!" exclaimed Yamcha in shock.

"B-brothers?!" Bulma gasped. "You're kidding!"

"Quit talkin' nonsense! Why should I believe you?" asked Goku.

"R-right!" Krillin added. "If Goku _is _from space, then what's he doing on Earth?"

Raditz began to chuckle. "That's an easy question; Kakarrot was sent here to exterminate the bothersome life-forms that populate this rock!" he replied.

"I was...**_what?!_**" exclaimed Goku.

"You see, we Saiyans are assigned to travel through space in search of planets with good environments; those are the ones that fetch a high price on the galactic market," Raditz explained. "Once we find them, we send out our warriors to purge them of any life and make them, how do I phrase this? Hmm...ready for sale. Afterwards, we sell them for a high price to any aliens in search of a suitable planet. The adult warriors are sent to planets whose population possesses a high battle power. But to planets such as this, with a lower level, we send our infants to infiltrate the populace until they're old enough to battle. Either that, or they wait until they see a full moon, and let the rest work itself out from there. With any luck, they'll handle the job in 2 or 3 nights' time, give or take a month."

"I-if that's true, then you Saiyans are a bunch of space pirates!" Krillin spat. "You guys make even Piccolo seem lovable!"

Bulma hugged Gohan to her bosom. "How can you even think of sending helpless babies into space on their own?!" she glared.

"Kakarrot, given several years' time, you should have had plenty of time to purge these pests by yourself! At least, other than the woman," Raditz told his brother. "Luckily, this planet has a moon of its own."

"Why is _that _so lucky?" asked Goku.

"Don't be daft!" Raditz snapped. "It's when the moon is full that we Saiyans are at our best; when we transform into gigantic apes!"

At that, everyone except for Goku put it together...

Through Bulma, Oolong, Yamcha, Puar, Roshi, and Krillin's minds, they saw the memory of Goku transforming into the massive ape-monster: the first time being when they were at Pilaf's Castle, the second time being during their journey to find the Sleeping Princess; and the 3rd time being during the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, during the climactic showdown with the 'legendary' Jackie Chun.

So _that _was why it happened...and how it could be explained!

"I dunno what you're talking about!" Goku yelled.

Raditz suddenly drew back, shocked. "I-it can't be...where's your tail?!" he exclaimed, mortified.

Goku glanced at his rear end. "It was removed permanently, when I was a teenager." was his reply.

"YOU FOOL!" Raditz spat. "Your true potential is gone now!"

Goku raised an eyebrow. What did Raditz mean by "true potential"?

"It's no wonder you've bonded with this world's people..." Raditz fumed. "You think I wouldn't want to experience that sometime? To actually get the chance to _know _someone from another world instead of having to blow them to bits? ...alas, such is my lot in life."

"So WHAT if I'm from another planet? Or if I have some alien name? Or if you ARE my brother?" Goku scoffed. "Anyone who'd go out and slaughter people like cattle is just...just sickening! Besides, my _name _is Son Goku, and I was raised on Earth! NOW HIT THE ROAD!"

Yamcha stepped up to his left. "Yeah! If you _were _his brother, you wouldn't force him to do something he didn't wanna do!" he added.

Master Roshi nodded. "No matter what his past, Goku's the most human fella I've ever known!" he agreed. "Nurture over nature!:

"He even saved this planet a few times! So why don'cha just climb back into whatever spaceship you crawled out of, and go home?" concluded Krillin.

Raditz gave a dry chuckle. "Oh, I gladly would...but then again, that's impossible." he replied, getting a faraway look in his eyes. "24 years ago, our home world was obliterated by a massive asteroid...at least, that's what most say. Others say it was some sort of comet. All I know is that on that day, both of our parents were slaughtered, and only a handful of us managed to survive. Naturally, I was devastated, but I wasn't allowed to show it."

Goku was taken aback by this; he'd always wondered if he had parents...but to think he'd never get the chance to know them now...unless...

"Raditz, wait!" he exclaimed.

The hedgehog-haired Saiyan glanced over at his brother. "What is it?" he asked.

"...what if I told you there was a way to bring back the other Saiyans who'd died?" Goku asked.

Raditz squinted, then removed his scouter, placing it on his holster. "Very well then, little brother; you have my attention."

And so, Goku (with help from Bulma on telling the extra-complicated parts) explained the story behind the Dragon Balls, all while Raditz listened intently. Finally, the tale had been told.

Raditz was astounded that such things could actually exist in the universe. And to think, he'd never known of them until this moment! His eyes were alight with a sudden,

"Kakarot!" he exclaimed. "With these things at our disposal, we could not only revive the Saiyan race, but we could gain infinite power!"

Goku was silent, but a disembodied voice seemed to speak up at the moment. "_Infinite power, eh? I like the sound of that!_" And though the voice was only heard over the scouter, it was very distinctly male.

The group all turned to see the source as another voice spoke up.

"_You sure about that, Vegeta? I mean, we could use them to revive the Saiyans' empire. Think about it, we'd have all our old pals back! Maybe we could even cross-breed some kind of a Super Saiyan! That'd show Frieza what-for, eh?"_

The first voice, Vegeta, spoke again. "_Don't joke around, Nappa! That's exactly why father had my pathetic brother Tarble exiled, because he thought too small. Just imagine: eternal life, eternal youth: no age...no death...just being able to fight as long as we like! Heheheheheh...and to think we owe it all to the weak link, Raditz! Son of Bardock, the low-level FILTH! We'll be coming to the planet so we can find these 'Dragon Balls' for ourselves, so don't hesitate to roll out the welcome mat for us!"_

With a final smug cackle, the line went dead, leaving Raditz looking very disconcerted.

"Damn it! Now they know..." he scowled. "How could I have been so foolish?!"

"...should we do something to help?" asked Yamcha. "He looks pretty deflated."

"He was literally _borderline threatening _us five-odd minutes ago," Krillin replied. "And last I checked, he smacked me into the house...so excuse me if I'm not in what you'd call a sympathizing mood."

Raditz turned back to face Goku and his friends. "While I can understand that you aren't exactly willing to lend me a hand, take this into consideration: those other two Saiyans who are coming here just so happen to be _much _more powerful than I am. So you can't beat these two alone. We need some way to get stronger."

Goku looked as though he were lost in thought...until his eyes brightened. "Maybe we can get Kami and Mr. Popo to help us out!" he suggested.

Raditz looked surprised by this, as well as the other inhabitants of Roshi's island...even those who weren't in plain sight. Just what did Goku have in mind?


End file.
